R4H, I managed to find the photo of HSP. It was normal for the print to have a neg number on the back but this one did not so I can't swear if it was from 1995/6 when I was at JATE or in 2000 and something. It would most likely have been a JATE image as personal cameras were not permitted.
I remember the bit of wood with the power bulge over the barrel and all the horse hair
As for why in 2001: I can only guess that the drive was for troops following which was flavour of the month. Since TROC prohibited following troops on MSP, HSP was an option.
Now take your self back to the political climate. It was cut cut cut and lots of salami slicing. ownership of the AD capability was in a flux. DEC had not stood up. There was a lot of posturing going on.
I had been told of an era when we dropped 20 MSPs a week. I think we may have managed less than 20 in that year. The operating cost was horrendous. We still needed all the people in factories that serviced BARCPs, made TROC Cables, Chains and tensioners, Fixed Role equipment, Built furniture and skid doors, Straightened out bent side frames, packed chutes etc. In truth we could not afford to do all these things.
We only had a couple of HSPs and I could not see the point but did my best to rustle things together. I guess someone was trying to live in the past.
This was the same time as we had what we thought was the best in the world and were the best in the world at it. We were being asked by the US to front another project. Our contribution being the highly skilled and best trained and disciplined manpower. In truth we could not afford our meagre subs to the golf club.
I wonder what we can do today.
We must pay tribute to the aircraft we had at the time. It was not the C17 or A400M. We certainly did more with the K than ever with the J. Hopefully A400M will leapfrog.
We dreamed about having C17 for AD but recall it being said "If we are not allowed to drop anything from them just paint them white and park 'em up at Brize" - That was then and this is now I think all the aircraft we have had have been worked hard.